Written by Tim McGowan
Working with the Human Development Forum Foundation (HDFF) has given me many opportunities to experience a variety of aspects of development and security promotion. From my first week, I realized that HDFF placed a large emphasis on combining the practical with research through our preparation for Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT). By assisting in the Hostile Environment Awareness Training which occurred early in my internship period, I saw firsthand the importance of high-quality training for humanitarian workers. During this training, I witnessed humanitarian workers from various organizations learn how to survive attacks when distributing aid, the importance of finding the right cover, proper first aid techniques, and what it is like to be kidnapped while in the field. The instructors helped teach me along with the other interns while the scenarios were going on so that we could see what to avoid or what we should attempt to do when placed in situations like those simulated in this training. One of the most important aspects of this training to me was the dinners each night. During these dinners, we all had the opportunity to talk with each other about life experiences and create lasting friendships and connections that transcend the organizations we worked for. This let me learn from those in the development sector about how they started their careers and has helped me understand what I needed to do to start my own career in this sector.
After returning from this training, I was tasked with monitoring the Myanmar conflict and plotting where different incidents occurred throughout Myanmar for biweekly security consultations in collaboration with other HDFF workers. Under Dr. Wilfried Herrmann’s guidance, I was able to see important trends in the Myanmar conflict and the importance of research in protecting companies and humanitarians in conflict areas. This when paired with the experience I had with HEAT earlier showed me the duality in humanitarian protection. Research and practical training are both needed to protect those who work to help after disasters and work in the development sector. Working at HDFF was a great way for me to combine my concentration in diplomacy, security, and governance from my undergraduate studies with my concentration in global development in my graduate studies. Security goes hand in hand with development and I am glad that I was able to see this firsthand through my internship at HDFF.
Shifting away from my conflict related duties, while working for the Human Development Forum Foundation I took the initiative to use my previous knowledge of public relations to design new logos and rebrand the various trainings and programs that HDFF offered so they would convey what was entailed in a way consumers could better understand. Along with this task, I had the privilege of meeting with Dr. Wilfried and the other interns every week to discuss topics from the history of world politics and cultural awareness lessons to career development advice. These talks were extremely insightful because of the experience Dr. Wilfried has in these areas, and the diversity of those in these conversations as the four of us were each from differing countries that range vastly in culture and approaches. Overall, I have had an extremely insightful time while working at HDFF and feel invigorated that I have practical experience now that I can utilize along with what I have learned while being a student at the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.
Tim McGowan is a graduate student at Indiana University. He received an Internship Scholarship from the Tobias Center for Innovation in International Development during the summer of 2023